Efficacy of Multivitamin Supplementation in the Management of Recurrent Aphthous Stomatitis: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Background: Recurrent aphthous stomatitis (RAS) is a prevalent oral mucosal condition marked by painful ulcerations that adversely affect patients' quality of life. Despite its frequency, effective and consistent management of RAS remains a clinical challenge. Objective: To assess the efficacy of multivitamin supplementation in reducing the frequency, duration, and severity of aphthous ulcers in patients diagnosed with RAS. Methodology: A randomized controlled trial was conducted at Bacha Khan College of Dentistry, Mardan, over a ten-month period. A total of 60 patients aged 18–60 years with clinically diagnosed RAS and no history of systemic illness, immunomodulatory therapy, pregnancy, or lactation were enrolled. Participants were randomly assigned to either the multivitamin group or the control group. Primary outcomes included ulcer resolution rate, symptom improvement, and time to symptom resolution. Continuous variables were analyzed using the Student’s t-test, while categorical variables were expressed as percentages and analyzed using the chi-square test. Results: The mean age of participants was 35.2 ± 5.8 years in the multivitamin group and 36.7 ± 6.1 years in the control group (p = 0.42), with male participants comprising 60% and 66.7%, respectively (p = 0.61). After six months, ulcer resolution was achieved in 73.3% of the multivitamin group compared to 33.3% in the control group (p = 0.002). Symptom improvement was reported by 83.3% in the multivitamin group versus 50% in the control group (p = 0.01). The average time to symptom resolution was significantly shorter in the multivitamin group (7.2 ± 2.3 days) than in the control group (10.5 ± 3.1 days; p = 0.001). Conclusion: Multivitamin supplementation appears to be an effective adjunctive therapy in the management of RAS, significantly improving ulcer resolution, reducing symptom duration, and enhancing overall patient outcomes.